Advice

Last year, Stage 32 was kind enough to publish several blog posts, in which I described my career path, going from an unknown writer in a small country to now being able to have a career in filmmaking. And Stage 32 did what it does best - it sparked connections. A producer based in LA noticed a few of my blog posts, and then noticed my insight on a topic. He decided to get in touch via Stage 32, asking what I was working on. And then, magic happened. Within a month, I had a meeting with...

Many writers want to know how long their scripts should be. And the answer is almost always, “Shorter than you think.” This is especially true, dear creatives, as we start out our careers. The other day on Instagram, writer/actor Shawn Parikh laid to rest the excuse “but Aaron Sorkin gets to do it” – namely, write massively long scripts – by reminding us, gently, that we are not Aaron Sorkin. For us mere mortals, 90-110 pages will do just fine. But why is this the case? Why can’t we push it...

Indian Cinema, often loosely defined as ‘Bollywood,’ has much more to it than meets the eye. The films in India are produced in over 20 languages and an equal number of dialects. However, the mainstream cinema of Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu languages is generally considered financially viable and offers great opportunities. This millennium has seen Indian Feature Films and even web series reaching foreign shores. We began this experiment when we took Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Devdas and its st...

Do you remember when you were a kid and you heard adults talk about "the way it used to be" or even "how things are done now?" That’s because the world is constantly shifting and evolving and it’s the same for how we do business. Our personal and professional lives - everything about "how it used to be" has changed in recent years. Do we fear it? Do we welcome it? These are the questions we’re forced to ask ourselves - the leftovers of a world forever having to change "business as usual." A...

When I wrote my first screenplay, I was 17, outspoken, and very confident in my writing abilities, so when the teacher told us we were having a stage playwriting contest, I nearly jumped out of my chair with excitement. I spent the whole day writing and planning out my screenplay. The next day, I gave copies to almost everyone in my class to see what they thought. One student said it was terrible and tossed it in the garbage. I even had a close friend tell me to stop sending her stories, and we...

William Goldman was pretty spot on with this astute observation of Hollywood. "Nobody knows anything."  Like any industry that requires human capital — or to be more dramatic since we are talking storytelling — like any industry that feeds on metaphorical blood, sweat, and tears, the spec screenwriting business has been through booms and busts. Ups and downs. Just google “Shane Black 1990s’’ to get some specific historical context for what the spec business has looked like over the years. As...

Now that you are deep into your journey in the tv and film business, you can find yourself in a web of the constant need to go, go, go, do, do, and prove, prove, prove. Take a pause. Big success is bound to follow if you never lose your passion and drive for which you started with. By doing so, it’s ok to pause and acknowledge the smaller accomplishments. The truth is the pursuit of the big picture can come with a load of stress. It’s important to find the balance in creating by celebrating. T...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! Have you had a creative weekend so far? I have some content here for you that is sure to get the creative juices flowing, so grab your coffee, and let's dive in. We talk a lot in the lounges about art versus the business of film and television, and there is a balance to it. If you caught my recent AMA, I talked about the importance of keeping up with the news in the trades, but also the importance of honing your craft. In the first video, Film Courage interviews...

Like many, I’m reasonably new to screenwriting. I taught college courses in writing and Goth Lit for 15 years, and when I made the switch to screenwriting, I thought, “It’s writing. How hard could it be? Look at all the stuff that gets made.” I embarked on a journey to learn all I could about writing scripts, something I’d dreamed of doing for nigh-on 30 years. I wrote a couple of sitcoms I thought were awesome and sent them to some managers who accepted unsolicited scripts. I was turned dow...

A common question aspiring screenwriters crafting big blockbuster scripts ask is: "How can I sell my script to the studios?" The truth, while not impossible,  the chances of this happening for an "unknown" screenwriter (meaning you haven't sold anything before) is very slim. So, let's try and broaden the odds for you and look at Indie Film Production. Stage32 has a plethora of Producers in this community, so let me suggest you start by forming relationships with them and seeing where that l...